The Right Touch
by goshinote
Summary: Trigger warning inside based on mentions of almost sexual assault. Revolves around Kagome's reaction to her interaction with Mukotsu of the Band of Seven. One-shot. Complete.


**Trigger Warning: mentions/aftermath of attempted rape**

Hello, everyone.

This is a little more seirous than my usual content, but an author I love, Evil Illusions, did a chapter in their fic, Firsts, addressing the near-rape situation Kagome had with Mukotsu of the Band of Seven in episode 104/manga chapter 230. I didn't even remember that this situation existed, so all credit goes to Evil Illusions for the inspiration. Thank you.

I personally am a survivor of sexual assault, so I wanted to address the aftermath of this kind of situation from the perspective of a victim. Even though Kagome wasn't actually raped, there would still be repercussions from the attempt. This emulates some of the emotions I went through, and I hope it gives insight and brings awareness to the severe issue of rape and what victism, in this case almost-victims, go through.

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha or its characters. All rights to Rumiko Takahashi.

_The Right Touch_

Kagome curled up in her sleeping bag with Shippo wrapped in her arms. Sango had come to lay down beside her, as if knowing that Kagome needed the extra support.

It had been a scary day.

She'd almost died from poison, then almost died in a fire, then almost died of poison again.

But the other thing that had almost happened...well…

She squeezed her eyes shut, the memory of Mukotsu's filthy hands on her and disgusting words in her ears echoed in her mind and on her body. She'd been terrified; she knew what was coming and wouldn't have been able to do anything about it if Sesshomaru hadn't come when he did.

So Kagome lay awake, pretending to be asleep for Miroku, Sango, and Shippo's sake. She knew she wouldn't be fooling Inuyasha.

Kagome heard the murmured conversation between Miroku and Inuyasha about the Band of Seven, waiting for Miroku to fall asleep. Maybe she would ask Inuyasha to take her up in a tree and just sit with her...anything to take her mind off of what happened.

Did Inuyasha even know? Miroku didn't say anything to him...and she didn't think Sango or Shippo had either.

Maybe she wouldn't tell him. Maybe she was making a big deal out of nothing?

_I just won't tell him, _she resolved silently. _I'll just say I'm still scared from the poison. No need to bring up the...incident._

A few minutes after Inuyasha and Miroku stopped talking, she heard Miroku's quiet snores and even breathing.

Sure enough, Inuyasha quietly said her name.

Kagome opened her eyes to see Inuyasha sitting near her, his hand reaching out to move the bangs from her eyes. She tried to hold back the tears that had been threatening to emerge.

Gently, she sat up and laid Shippo down in her sleeping bag before zipping it up and over him.

Standing up, she looked to Inuyasha and saw a resonating fear and concern in his eyes.

She remembered how desperately and tightly he'd been holding her when she awoke from the poison and the tears he had nearly shed when she and the others had woken up. It had been hard on him, too.

Inuyasha reached his arms out and Kagome walked into his waiting embrace without hesitation. Scooping her up, Inuyasha jumped into a nearby tree. He sat Kagome against the trunk so her balance would be better, while he sat next to her down the branch a bit. There were only about two feet between them, but even that felt too far.

"Are you okay?" he asked once they'd gotten settled.

Kagome looked into his eyes, wondering if she should tell him everything.

"Yes," she lied. "I'm tired from the poison but I'm okay."

She could tell Inuyasha didn't believe her.

"Kagome," he said seriously. "Are you sure? You can tell me anything."

Kagome's eyes widened. Normally he wasn't this intrusive unless she was lying about a physical injury. She knew Inuyasha cared about her, to what extent she wasn't certain, but he was her best friend and she knew she was his. She shouldn't write him off; of course he could tell she was bothered by something and of course he cared enough to ask.

"Um, well…" Kagome stifled the tears burning the backs of her eyes, instead clenching her hands in fists on her lap. "I don't know how to say it."

Inuyasha looked hesitant. "I could smell Mukotsu on you," he admitted. "It seemed more than just the usual 'grab the girl and run.' I could tell there was...something more."

Kagome looked away from him, suddenly feeling ashamed that he knew what had happened to her, knew that she had been touched by someone.

She had the sudden desire to shower with water hot enough to burn her skin off...anything to get the unwanted touch off of her.

She felt disgusting. Dirty. Tainted. A sense of hatred came over her for herself.

"I don't...I can't…"

Inuyasha tried to catch her eye again. "You don't have to tell me, but I'm here. I'll always be here."

Kagome looked back up at him, at the sincerity in his eyes. She saw the lack of pity, only empathy and genuine concern for her.

She moved closer to him and was horrified when he leaned back and away from her. She could practically _feel_ the hurt look she knew was on her face and a new wave of misery overcame her. He thought she was dirty, too.

Picking up on her upset, Inuyasha shook his head. "I want to comfort you," he said quickly. "But I didn't want to touch you too much in case, well, just in case." Kagome, understanding and appreciating his caution, shook her head right back.

"It's you, Inuyasha," she murmured. "You would never hurt me."

With that, she leaned forward again to lean against his chest. He didn't hesitate as he gently wrapped his arms around her before switching their position so his back was against the trunk and she was comfortably settled in his embrace.

"He said he wanted to have a wedding ceremony," she said in a small voice, her face buried in his haori. "But the way he was touching me...I know that he was going to do more. He paralyzed me and said we would have 'fun.' It was...I knew what was coming."

Inuyasha tightened his hold around her. "I'm sorry. I wish I could have been there sooner."

Kagome shook her head. "Sesshomaru came and killed him, but it was still scary. I think it's the scaredest I've ever been for myself."

She stopped talking then, and silence enveloped the pair. Inuyasha's steady heart beat comforted her, his woodsy scent overpowering the smell of Mukotsu and his poison that she remembered.

"Thank you, Inuyasha," she said quietly.

She felt Inuyasha lean his head on hers. She felt his touch, the _right_ touch.

"I'm always here, Kagome. Always."

Kagome knew it would take time to move on from it and that she would never forget what happened. It was up to her to heal and be able to overcome the negative repercussions of the incident. It helped knowing Inuyasha was there.

After a moment, she fell asleep, Inuyasha's arms still wrapped around her.

FIN.

I hope this brought awareness and comfort to anyone who needed it. I purposefully didn't put fluff in it because I wanted the focus to be on Kagome and her reaction the events that took place. Please let me know what you all think.

Much love.


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